EPL Week 28 Round-up

SWINDON, UK – Michael Farn(GBR)(F) with MK Lightning was hit in the face by the puck while on the bench during the Slough game on Sunday. He was taken to hospital and has at least a broken nose, and possibly injury to a cheek but was later released until the swelling goes down so they can’t decide if he needs surgery.
The week started with a furious Peterborough coach Tim Peacock, irate at the double defeat at the weekend against the Bison, let fly at his players with the declaration: “That’s exactly what they deserved.”
He added “There are too many players who think they only have to turn it on when it suits them, and it has been that way all season”. So look for changes next year, I guess. Phantoms’ D-man Julian Smith(GBR), though, is set to clock up game appearance number 300 this weekend and joins Shaun Yardley and Lewis Buckman as the only Peterborough players to achieve this record.
Meanwhile, Wildcats assistant coach Gareth Endicott, in referring to the Sunday game which gave the Wildcats a two-point lead over the Bees for the final playoff place, said, “It was a big result and one we really wanted. It puts us in the driving seat now and it is all ours to lose.”
Midweek, and it was announced Jets’ coach Pete Russell has won the Ice Hockey Journalists EPL Coach Of The Year award, and Bees Czech forward Jaroslav Cesky the Player Of The Year award.

Cesky told BBC Sport he was so happy playing for the Bees he wanted play another season in Bracknell because everyone was so friendly and supportive. He added it would have to be a very good offer to drag him away and he was even prepared to play next season for less money.
Bees other Czech forward Michal Pinc has also expressed a similar view, and netminder Carl Ambler(GBR) told the press he has no doubt the Bees will make the playoffs, which means three points from their final games against the Raiders and Phoenix, and playoff contenders, the Wildcats, losing to the Phoenix and Bison. Ambler also said he thought it would be ‘amazing’ if he is asked to play for the Bees again next season. The management company, Ice Management Ltd, however, is being cagey as to whether or not there will actually be a Bees next season. Bosses Eleftheriou and Robinson refused to comment and said a statement will be made in the near future.
But, with touchy-feely comments coming from the Bees, there are no such sentiments from Phoenix forward Ed Courtenay. He informed the Manchester club he was quitting with immediate effect and would not be returning from his extended family visit in the North America where he would be taking up a non-ice hockey related job offer.
Also midweek and Guildford Flames travelled to Milton Keynes for the second leg of the EPL cup final, and won 4-3 giving them an aggregate 10-4 win.
Joe Ciccarello(CAN)(F), who has been out of the Bison side for about seven weeks with a knee injury, returned to the ice for some light training this week. Bison boss Steve Moria said he hoped Ciccarello would be in the line up this weekend. Moria also said the Wildcats will beat the Phoenix this coming Saturday and the Bees will win against the Raiders so taking the battle for the final playoff place right to the last game of the regular season.    
And so on to the final weekend, and what a night, er two nights of the long knives it turned out to be.
On Saturday the Wildcats massacred the Phoenix ten goals to 2 with Aaron Nell scoring his fourth hat-trick of the season. Not only was this the season’s worst defeat for the Manchester side, but it was also the Swindon team’s best result. At Guildford, visitors Peterborough were two up after the first five minutes and from then the Flames were always trying to play catch-up. Not even the euphoria of the splendid mid-week cup win over the Lightning was enough to carry the day and despite a late third-period rally the Flames went down 4-3. Bracknell’s crucial playoff-deciding game went pretty much as anticipated with a crushing thirteen goals to three against the Raiders in what was the Bees highest score of the season, and the Raiders worst defeat. The Jets were not in the same league as their staggering record-breaking defeat of the Lightning last weekend and succumbed to a visiting Scimitars side that has only won six points since February. Meanwhile the Lightning had recovered enough to down the Bison 4-2 and dash coach Moria’s hopes of a third place finish.
Sunday, and the carnage continued. The Bison bounced back and after two very close periods against the Wildcats took advantage when their wheel, er, claw fell off and hammered in five unanswered goals in the third. But, not only was it not enough to gain the Bison a third place finish, but with the Bees being demolished by an also-bouncing back Phoenix, it meant the Wildcats secured the final playoff place. And talking of bouncing back, the Flames comfortably ended a dismal season for the Raiders with a nine goal finish which started in the first minute and was over by the end of the first period, although the Raiders did manage a virtually equal tally of shots on goal. The Scimitars made it two in a row by thrashing the Jets even easier than last night and must being feeling ecstatic as they will be their playoff opponents. So disappointed was coach Pete Russell he issued a statement accepting responsibility for the poor performance and apologised to the fans.          
And to end on a further destructive note, the Phantoms ended the regular season on a roll with a four-point weekend by beating the Lightning six to two. OK, so the Milton Keynes team were ‘resting’ their imports for the playoffs, but if nothing else the Peterborough team go into the playoffs with their tails up, or whatever it is a phantom is able to hold up.
So how does this leave the league chart? Not a lot different really and the final positions, despite some promise of last minute changes, are therefore established and the playoff pairings now set. But at least it all went to the final games.  
 
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Contact the author Bill.Collins@Prohockeynews.com